Tis A Long Yarn Indeed

I was lucky enough to participate in the first Knitty Yarn Roundtable at Alterknit last summer, and another one last Wednesday at the Purple Purl. Very cool to have my little opinions counted in the creation of a feature in Knitty. I discovered a few things about my yarn preferences while knitting these funky swatches. For example, mercerized cotton (the green speckled one, centre top) looks very pretty, but I don't like working with it. My love of cotton blends however, was confirmed. The grey section at the top of the photo is a Nashua blend with linen. I love it. Everything the others at the table complained about - the crunchiness, the uneven stitches, the ropiness - are all qualities I adore. I'm just weird that way I guess. This stuff would make a great tunic.

One thing I missed from my first Roundtable to my next, was the question "What does this yarn want to be?" on the form. This little phrase sparked much inventiveness and hilarity last summer. "A tractor cozy", Lisa replied about a wool she particularly disliked. Priceless.

I do like the look of my wee swatches in the late evening sun here. So warm and inviting. Contrast that picture with this:

Barren n'est pas? It's one of the views from the Go Train on the way to visit my parents on freakin' Easter Sunday people! I believe this is somewhere before Oakville. In many ways, Southern Ontario can be disappointing.

For a delightful blend of cool and hot, there's Dr. David Suzuki. Don't you just love this ad campaign?